Cowards, Widows, And Christ Is All!

Richard Wurmbrand writes:

Once the communists came to power, they skillfully used the means of seduction toward the Church. The language of love and the language of seduction are the same. The one who wishes a girl for a wife and the one who wishes her for a night in order to throw her away afterward, both say, "I love you." Jesus has told us to distinguish the language of seduction from the language of love, and to know the wolves clad in sheepskin from the real sheep.

When the communists came to power thousands of priests, pastors, and ministers did not know how to distinguish the two voices.

The communists convened a congress of all Christian bodies in our parliament building. There were four thousand priests, pastors, and ministers of all denominations. These four thousand priests and pastors chose Joseph Stalin as honorary president of this congress. At the same time he was president of the World Movement of the Godless and a mass murderer of Christians.

One after another, bishops and pastors arose in our parliament building and declared that communism and Christianity are fundamentally the same and could coexist. One minister after another said words of praise toward communism and assured the new government of the loyalty of the Church.

My wife and I were present at this congress. My wife sat near me and told me; "Richard, stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ! They are spitting in His face."

I said to my wife, "If I do so, you lose your husband."

She said, "I don't wish to have a coward as a husband."

Then I arose and spoke to this congress, praising not the murderers of Christians, but Christ and God and said that our loyalty is due first to Him. The speeches at this congress were broadcast and the whole country could hear proclaimed from the rostrum of the Communist Parliament the message of Christ!

Afterward I had to pay for this, but it had been worthwhile.

Richard Wurmbrand, Tortured For Christ (Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Book Company, 1967), 15-16.